


It's Only Words

by izzybelledot



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blood Quill (Harry Potter), Detention, Dolores Umbridge Being an Asshole, Drabble, F/M, Fremione - Freeform, Hurt Hermione Granger, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24964798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izzybelledot/pseuds/izzybelledot
Summary: Before Umbridge started using her Black Quill on the majority of the student population, Hermione was found with words carved into her hand by Fred and George.She really didn't want anyone to know.
Relationships: Fred/Hermione, Hermione Granger & Fred Weasley & George Weasley
Comments: 15
Kudos: 95





	It's Only Words

Hermione winced, clutching at her hand as she walked back to the Gryffindor common room. 

Detention with Umbridge was horrid, especially considering that it was technically illegal. Blood Quills were _capitol _punishment, certainly not meant for some minor (and untrue) offense from school students. But Umbridge did not care, so Hogwarts could only suffer.__

__Of course, Hermione wasn’t exactly complacent. She read ahead in her studies, asked for extra work and more advanced material from her teachers. Umbridge seemed to want the youngest generation to be defenseless, and Hermione refused quite openly. So Umbridge had taken to assigning her detention for random actions._ _

__Last week she had gotten detention for explaining a Charms assignment to a first year. _‘I shall not be a know it all,’ _was inscribed on the top of her hand for that offense.___ _

____Today she had dared to speak out of term, correcting Umbridge for saying that they didn’t need defensive spells. Evidently just stating that the school had been attacked every year for the past five years was extremely offensive. _‘I shall not speak up against authority,’ _was scribbled below last week’s punishment.___ _ _ _

______She had refused to shiver or cry, feeling Umbridge’s sadistic gaze boring into the top of her head. It was a matter of pride, and while she did not let her pride force her into as horrid situations as Harry or Ron, she still had it. And despite the singing of her hand and the cram in her other wrist, Hermione could not find it in herself to lose her pride._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Granger?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Hermione paused, recognizing the voice in the corridor to her right. Perhaps if she didn’t turn they would let her alone?_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Granger, we know you heard us.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______A different voice this time, same direction. She wasn’t getting out of this, but she turned her stinging hand into the folds of her robe to conceal it for as long as she could. “Hello George, Fred.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______The twins smiled, rushing forwards to loop their arms through hers. “What are you doing wandering here alone, you could get caught you know,” The twin to her right stated, and she studied them closer. There was one freckle hidden partially underneath his eyebrow that wasn’t on his twin's face. Most people couldn’t see it, and it was the only especially noticeable difference she had found between the two._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Had detention, Fred.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Fred only chuckled at her correct assessment, she had been able to tell them apart for a year and a half now- though she had refused to tell them how. “How did Miss Perfect land herself detention? Did you soak Snape’s underwear in a color-switching potion? Yellow perhaps?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Bright yellow undergarments would wash him out. Maybe a nice right orange,” George interjected seamlessly. They were pulling her along now, though in the direction she was initially headed so she did not put up a fuss. As long as George didn’t look down at her hand they wouldn’t notice her injury. She really didn’t need drama over it._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I didn’t-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______Fred gasped, splaying his other hand over his chest in mock-outrage. “Why bright pink with frills? How scandalous, after all-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______“-what did he ever do to you?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Did he rank you lower than Ferret?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Or give you less homework?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Or-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______Both gasped, eyes locking over her head with enough delight to make her narrow her eyes in suspicion. “Did he not assign you an essay today?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______She couldn’t help but snort at that as if there would ever be a day he didn’t assign the Gryffindors an essay. “Hardly,” She deadpanned to the twins' amusement. “Besides, I didn’t have detention with Snape.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______George chuckled, patting the top of her hand. “Not to worry, we’ll keep your-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______As he patted her hand she couldn’t help the wince that overtook her features. George noticed, and looked down to see her hand._ _ _ _ _ _

______There were the ugly words, one already beginning to scar, with another line of words still bleeding below it. Fred noticed George’s discovery as well, eyes widening. Both twins shared a look over her head as Hermione looked down and bit her lip. She’d almost made it too, but not quite. The boys pulled her to the side, hurriedly stroking the side of a painting to reveal a small alcove there._ _ _ _ _ _

______Swinging the portrait closed and lighting a small fire in the torch pouted behind them, both boys crowded before her to look at her hand._ _ _ _ _ _

______With the dark lighting, she couldn’t make out their facial expressions. “Boys, I-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hermione, how did you get these,” Fred interrupted her, eyes boring into hers. Normally she might scold him for his rudeness, but now she couldn’t seem to find the words._ _ _ _ _ _

______George narrowed his eyes at her silence. “You said you just came from detention, who was it with?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Hermione glanced down, unable to meet their gaze any longer. “Umbridge. It’s not like I’m the only one she’s done this too.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“She hasn’t done it to us,” George pointed out. “We’re not exactly model students.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“She’s only used it on two people so far,” She admitted. “Only people she perceives as a threat to the system as a whole. She doesn’t know you two will be a problem for her yet.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“We’ll have to amend that."_ _ _ _ _ _

______Her eyes snapped back to Fred's, shaking her head hurriedly. “No, don’t do that! You don’t want her to-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______“To what, Hermione?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You still haven’t-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______“-told us what she did.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Hermione knew she could trust them, knew it should be easy to admit what happened. But shame was clawing at the back of her throat, making her shift uneasily and remain silent to their questioning. “You don’t need to-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hermione,” Fred growled, eyes harsh as he reached out to tilt her head back up to meet his gaze. George was staring at her with the same intensity, yet it didn’t shake her to her bones the way Fred’s was. “If you do not tell me what happened right now, I swear to you I will earn as many detentions as it takes to find out on my own.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Hermione didn’t like that at all, didn’t want to imagine George or Fred sitting at that desk, carving ugly words into their own skin. The physical damage wasn’t as bad as the emotional, the constant thought that they could stop this, that it was their fault. The longer you would write the words, the harder they were to ignore. The easier they were to believe._ _ _ _ _ _

_________ _ _ _ _ _

_______I shall not be a know it all._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______I shall not speak up against authority._ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“She has a black quill,” Hermione admitted finally. “It carves the letters into your hand so the quill uses your blood as ink.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Both twins were quiet for a moment, which may be one of the few moments she had ever seen them so quiet and still really. Finally, it was Fred that spoke up. “Georgie, do we have any of that balm still? The one we used when you caught your leg on that nail?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You pushed me into it, but yes we still have it. Don’t let her escape,” George squeezed her hand once before placing it in Fred’s hand. George quickly exited leaving her alone with Fred. Hermione realized this might be one of the only times she had been alone with him, he and George usually were bound at the hip._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hermione you should have told us.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________She only shook her head, lightly smiling at him. “It’s not that big of a deal really. It’ll scar for sure, but it’s only words.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Fred just scowled at the words on her hand, cradling it with both hands. “We both know it’s more than that.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________And maybe there, in the dark quiet of the secret alcove, it was easier to admit it. Maybe it was the company, or just the exhaustion lowering her walls. Maybe it was the intense look in Fred's eyes that made it easier to admit what happened, what she thought. “Maybe, it doesn’t change that it’s happening. For the moment, this is our reality.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Fred shifted, lifting her hand to his face to press a delicate kiss to the cuts there. Hermione didn't know how to react to that, to Fred letting his walls down for her. This whole situation felt bizarre and she was caught completely off guard. But Fred continued quietly like this was normal. “But that doesn’t mean you have to heal alone.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________There was silence between them, sticky and slow like molasses. But it wasn’t crushing or awkward, just rolling off of them slowly, dragging everything out between them. Every huff of breath, every look, every touch felt stretched. Hermione didn’t know what to make of it really if there was anything to make of it at all._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He lowered her hand with a small sigh. “Just tell us next time, we- I don’t like to see you hurt.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Okay.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
